Twinning for the Armenian research infrastructure on cancer research

Abstract

The incidence of cancer is expected to rise globally, with low-and middle-income countries affected disproportionally. One of those countries, Armenia, also faces the challenge of exhibiting one of the lowest research and scientific publication rates within Europe on cancer research. This report presents the experiences of the Twinning for the Armenian Research Infrastructure on Cancer Research (ARICE) program, funded by the European Commission from 2019 – 2024. The project brought together experts from three leading research-intensive, cancer centres: the Medical University of Graz, Austria; the Charles University, Czechia; and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization (IARC/WHO), in partnership with the Yerevan State Medical University. The aim was to enhance the research capacity in Armenia in the field of infrastructure development for clinical genetic research, in particular targeting the collection and use of biological materials, and the data integration for downstream analyses in relation to chronic, non-communicable diseases such as cancer. To this end, training initiatives and educational programmes were developed throughout the duration of the grant and are discussed within their local context.